Spirit Day
by TwiGurl5000
Summary: It's an old Earth Kingdom tradition; a story kids believe. But soomewhere along the lines, the story became twisted. One particular spirit isn't too happy.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I know I'm supposed to be updating the Good Times, but it's Halloween and I'm a sucker for holiday fics. Anywho, there were a couple mix ups with the last chap, but I'll smooth them out sometime today. Happy Halloween!**

**Spirit Day**

Aang shivered against the biting cold in the barn where Appa was housed. His furry friend groaned as the wind whistled through the cracks of the splintered wood. Aang tightened his tunic and pulled the sleeves down to cover the arrows on his hands.

"Winter may come early this year, huh Appa?" he asked the flying bison, though he knew Appa wouldn't respond. Aang bended another pile of hay in front of his oldest friend and patted the thick fur on his head. "I'll be back soon."

Aang left the barn, lighting closing the door to shield Appa from the icy wind and started down the dirt road that lead to the town square. Everyone had already left for the spirit festival, but Aang stayed behind to make sure Appa was taken care of. He could see the sun beginning to set against the horizon and smiled at the tranquility of the fall scene. The wind blew again, ruffling his tunic and making him increase his step. As much as Aang loved the fall, he didn't want to spend any more time than necessary outdoors. But the colors of the leaves and golden tint of the sunset slowed him again, making him appreciate the beauty of Gaoling. Fall was his favorite time of year. It _was _the season most airbenders were born, including himself who had turned nineteen a few weeks before.

Aang could already begin to hear the horns and drums of the festival as he walked along, growing more and more excited the closer he went. It was as if he was twelve again, looking for any excuse to goof off. He reached the massive crowd, thankful for the heat of the stoves in the carts and multiple bodies that wandered through the crowded streets. Shop merchants were yelling, advertising their food or trinkets to be taken home. There were masks and dolls on display with blank, empty expressions on their colorful faces. Aang shied away from those. The dark circles around the eyes and red mouths reminded him to much of Koh. He kept his face passive and tightened the grip on his staff out of habit.

There was a small crowd of children sitting, legs crossed, waiting anxiously in front of a wooden miniature playhouse. The small curtains appeared and the kids yelled in excitement. The story began of an old man who was _very _lonely.

"He had no friends or family," the voice narrated. There was a decrepit old puppet that appeared, hunched over and wobbling on a twig for a cane. The narrator continued. "But he loved dolls. Oh, how he'd collect them and polish them. He'd travel miles and miles just to see more them. One day, a little girl knocked on his door and asked to see his dolls.

"Now, this old man was very proud. He gladly took her around his house to marvel at his dolls that he spent hours, even days mending and perfecting. When the little girl asked for one, the most beautiful doll he'd ever owned, the old man laughed and said no. His dolls were his family, and he couldn't bear to part with any of them, especially his favorite one. The little girl asked again, growing angry. Afraid he was dealing with a spirit there to test him, he quickly gave the little girl his very first doll. It was the doll he'd received as a joke, thrown at him by a neighbor to remind him of his dead mother. The doll had withered with age, and whenever the old man tried to clean it, it only got worse.

"He loved that doll as though it were his real mother, so he let the child have it. Angry, the little girl threw it back at the old man and ran home. Crying about not getting what she wanted, she told anyone who'd listen about how the old man had given her the ugly old doll. Some town crooks had been eyeing the old man's collection and decided to steal it. In the middle of the night, they broke into his house and beat the old man. They laughed as he tried to save his collection. They smashed the porcelain ones, ripped the canvas ones, and took the most valuable looking ones for himself. The leader saw the old man clutching the oldest doll to his chest, and ripped it to shreds, leaving the head to stare blankly at him. They left the old man weak and dying on the floor. He cried out to the spirits for help, not wanting to die with his life's work ruined. So the spirits answered.

"The very next night was the spirit festival. The crooks sold the remaining dolls to the highest bidder and openly bragged about besting the old man. The festival ended and they walked home one by one. The leader took a turn down an alley, not afraid of any thugs or criminals. He heard a noise behind him, the sound of something rattling, like old bones. The thief kept walking, ignoring the ominous sound. Suddenly, he heard the sound again, only closer. The thief looked back and saw nothing, but when he turned around, there was nothing but darkness ahead. The alley seemed to grow longer with every step he took. It was as though it never ended, as if he was in the same place having never walked at all. The thief became frightened and wondered if the spirits were joking with him. Still foolishly, he continued on. The sound of rattling became louder, right behind him. The thief realized it wasn't old bones rattling, but rather something crawling.

"He began to run, the exit to the alley farther and farther as he panicked. He threw the money to the ground, getting rid of as much weight as possible to move faster. He screamed as the pointed legs of some large beast touched down on his shoulders, making him fall to the ground.

"_Let me look at you,_ the voice said. The man struggled as the beast turned him on his back. It was the face of the oldest doll. _You'll be the first of my collection._

"Soon, every criminal, every greedy merchant, and especially every child that misbehaved would go missing. The only thing left in their place was a withered old doll. The end."

Some people clapped while others, like the children, quickly found their parents and left. Aang was chilled to the bone. A hand as cold as death gripped his wrist, and he turned, staring right into the face of Koh. Aang yelled, staggering back and fell to the ground. He composed his face as much as he could, but let it fall into confusion as the spirit burst into giggles.

"Oh, man," a familiar female voice said behind unmoving lips. "You are such a wimp. It's just a story, Twinkle Toes."

"Toph?" Aang asked, standing quickly, grabbing his staff and brushing the dust from his clothes. Toph pulled the mask from her face, grinning hard enough to split her cheeks.

Aang walked up to her, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders. "You almost scared me to the next Avatar!" he said, shaking her.

Toph laughed again. "It's not my fault you're afraid of a kid's story. If you were born in the Earth Kingdom you'd know-"

"It's not just a story, Toph," Aang said in a warning tone. His hands relaxed their grip.

Toph glanced in his direction with confusion. "Sure it is. My parents used to tell it all the time to make me go to bed, or eat my vegetables."

"Koh is _real,"_ Aang said. He took the mask from her hands and stared at it. "And you're wearing his face. _Everyone _is wearing his face like it's some type of joke."

Toph rolled her pale eyes. She gestured for Aang to follow her. "Alright, if he's so real, how come kids and all the rich stuffy people haven't been kidnapped?"

Aang shrugged. "He doesn't kidnap people, Toph. He steals their faces and leaves you trapped in the spirit world."

Toph stopped. "Whoa, how the hell does he do that?"

"I don't know and I don't want to." The sun had set while Aang was wrapped in the story. "Where's everyone else?"

"We found a tea shop not too far from here. I ducked out when I sensed your girly vibrations," Toph joked, turning towards a break between two buildings. Aang followed close behind.

"Are you sure this is the only way?" he said, his voice echoing off the dank walls of the alley.

Toph smirked. "It's the quickest way. It's freezing out here. How about a little firebending action while you tell me about this Koh."

Aang breathed deeply, letting his inner fire warm himself and the air around Toph. "He's a very old, very crafty spirit. You're right about it being a kids story, but I think the version shared has been altered throughout time. Koh lives in an elder tree in the middle of a swamp in the spirit world. He's got the body of a primordial centipede and the face of, well, _this._" Aang lifted Toph's hand that held her mask.

"Katara's idea," Toph explained. "She thinks we need to be more _festive. _Keep talking."

Aang reheated them and continued. "The only way for Koh to steal your face is showing any type of emotion. I'm not sure _how _he does it, but he leaves your body faceless." Aang shivered at the wind that blew past them in a heavy gust, and warmed himself again.

"Could you aim towards my feet? My toes are freezing," Toph complained. Aang joked with her about footless shoes not being enough for winter when he noticed the cool mist that shielded their feet from view. It seemed to be growing taller with each passing second.

Suddenly, he felt very dizzy, stopping to press his hand to the wall to gain his composure. He felt the lifting sensation of his past lives run through him while he took deep breaths.

"Aang?" Toph called, alarmed.

"I…" Aang struggled for words. "I'm okay. Did I just go into the Avatar State for a second?"

Toph nodded from her spot directly across from him. "Yeah, you did."

Aang shook his head. "That was weird. That usually doesn't happen."

"It must be Spirit Day just messing with your-"

Toph let out a blood curdling scream, sinking to the ground and covering her eyes.

"What?" Aang said, alarmed.

"My feet!" Toph yelled. "They- I can't.. I-I'm-"

Aang frantically looked over her for any signs of damage when he noticed his hands were getting wet. In fact, he and Toph were kneeling in dark, murky water. He stood them up, arcing his hands to bend the stagnant water from their clothes when the element did not respond. He tried again, the only reaction a drip of water falling from her arm.

"Aang, my feet. I can't… I can't feel a thing," Toph whispered beside him.

Aang noticed the light of day returning, though they'd been walking only a few minutes. _The sun set not to long ago,_ Aang thought. There was an orangish glow in the sky that gave light to the moss covered trees and ankle deep water that surrounded them.

"Toph, I think we're in the Spirit World."

She shrunk into him, shying away from the exotic birds that screeched above them, swooping down to catch a mouthful of water.

"I can see," she murmured.

Aang looked down at her, catching her face in his hands. "You _what?"_ Her eyes had darkened some, the pupils were more defined against the pale green that contrasted from the milky color they'd been before.

"Your arrow," she said, reaching up tentatively to touch the blue point on his forehead. She puched him hard in the arm. "How the hell did you get us into this mess, you idiot?"

"How is this my fault?" Aang said, not moving his hands from her face.

"Well, I don't know, Avatar. Why don't you explain to me how someone just wanders into the Spirit World by mistake?"

Aang dropped his head and looked around him. He could vaguely recognize his surroundings, but one of his past lives surely ventured there before since the position of trees seemed familiar.

"I don't know…"

Toph slugged him again. "You've had _how long _to master the damn Avatar State and you still don't know how we got here?"

Aang shook his head, looking around as he began to recall the swamp like area around them. "It's not like I get a manual. I have to figure some things out on my own." Aang froze when he spotted a cavern that lead towards the roots of a tree.

"Toph…"

"What did you do? I can't bend here! I don't know how you seeing people do it. This sucks!"

"_Toph."_

"There's no way we ended up in the same magic alley where that guy from the story was. This Koh guy was there before the Avatar. The whole world must have been burned down and built back up again at least a hundred times before-"

"TOPH!" Aang said, slapping his hand over his mouth at the volume of his voice. "Look," he whispered.

She raised an eyebrow at the elder tree. "So what? It's just a secret hideout underneath a tree."

"Not just any hideout," a chilling voice called from that direction. The benders froze in place. "Come closer, Avatar. I'd like to see your famed teacher."

Neither of them moved.

"Or would you rather me visit _you _instead? I hear the physical world has changed so much since my days as a weak mortal."

Aang turned to Toph, grabbing her wrist when Roku's voice joined his in her ear. "Show no fear, show no emotion at all."

Toph nodded and took the first step forward. Aang let his hand slide down to grip hers as they stepped through the water to the tree where Koh was housed. It was as dark as ever inside, and Aang could feel Toph shivering. He tried not to squint as his eyes adjusted to the sporadic bursts of light that shone through the twisted branches inside the hollow tree. He helped her step over the roots that jutted beneath their feet, and tugged her hand to a stop as they stood at the edge of the circle of the hundreds of annual rings that covered the floor.

"Welcome back, Avatar. I knew you'd come again. Though, not without my calling." Koh crawled down the serpentine bark, twisting more than Aang remembered to frighten Toph. Aang felt her breathing stop at the creature's sight.

"And this must be the great Toph Bei Fong," Koh said. His red lips formed a smile. "I must say, it is an honor to have you in my home. Pardon the mess, I haven't had company in so long."

"You said you called me," Aang spoke, voice betraying no emotion. "Why?"

The face closed in on itself, opening back up to reveal Ummi's face. Aang felt a part of him soften for the girl he'd never met.

"Such a pretty face," Koh teased, "Though not as much as your earth benders. Tell me, Avatar, what would a spirit have to do to add someone so famous to my collection?"

"Why are we here, Koh?" Aang asked, looking forward.

"How would you feel if mortal children laughed at your sight? The almighty Avatar, reduced to a tale for misbehaving _brats?_"

Aang almost laughed. "Is that what this is about? I thought you'd be flattered."

It's face changed again, turning back into the white skin and dark circles."I've worked hard for my name," Koh said. "And it's being tainted by your kind." He moved closely to Toph, lining directly in her face. She squeezed Aang's hand hard.

"I want revenge."

"I'll stop the festival," Aang blurted, trying to get the spirit away from Toph. "I'll burn all the masks if I have to. I'll tell them the real story. This isn't worth your time, Koh."

Koh laughed, not moving from Toph's face. She stiffened. "Always the hero," he joked. "I'll let you in on a secret, Avatar. When you're immortal, all you have is time."

"You really need a hobby," Toph said for the first time. "Everyone's already afraid of you."

Koh laughed again, curling his body around the pair the twisting his back legs in between them, breaking their hands apart. "You're quite the spit fire. I had a feeling you would be. But you're too late. You see, planning is my hobby, and I've been planning for some time now. This was just a warning. I've already begun taking out my revenge, starting with the people mocking my own face."

He lifted his upper body, circling it around Toph and letting his legs separate them even more. She was trapped.

"Namely," Koh began while Aang stared above at the break in the trees where the most light shined through. "Starting with _you!"_

Toph flinched and cried out as Koh laughed. "What an expression," he teased, lunging for her face. Aang sprang upwards, grabbing Toph and throwing both of them to the ground as Koh collided into himself, knocking his long body off balance.

"Toph, run!" Aang yelled, pushing her towards the light as Koh untwisted himself and lunged again.

"I _will _have her, Avatar! In this life and the next!" Koh laughed maniacally as he threw himself above where Aang was waiting with his staff, and dove for Toph.

**!_!_!_**

**Cliffie! What will happen? Will Toph survive? Next chapter soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Spirit Day**

**Chapter Two**

Toph threw herself at the first branch she could reach and hoisted herself up. She didn't know how long her strength would last and it made her feel truly weak not relying on her bending. She climbed, her nails clawing at the damp wood of the elder tree while Aang yelled at her to escape.

"I _will _have her, Avatar!" the spirit yelled. "In this life and the next!"

Toph felt a presence behind her as she climbed and shied away from the laughter that echoed behind her. She felt the prick of Koh's focus on the back of her neck as she climbed faster, the light above her growing closer and closer. Suddenly, Toph felt the points of his legs on her back, dragging her down. She screamed and kicked in the direction of Koh's face, too frightened to see if she was even hitting him.

Aang leapt towards Koh, grabbing his back legs and yanking him hard away from Toph, but he was stronger than Aang expected. He fell backwards, still hanging onto the legs as Koh howled in pain.

"Come get me!" Aang taunted. Koh turned from Toph to lunge for Aang who still hung onto his back legs. Aang got into a fighting stance, more relying on his staff than lack of bending. He steadied himself and stole a glance at Toph who disappeared through the gaping hole in the side of the tree. Aang looked back at Koh who swung his body, hitting Aang in the torso and sent him flying backwards. Aang gasped for breath and rolled onto his stomach to make for the exit.

"Going so soon?" Koh roared. "We're just getting started!"

Toph pushed her way through the hole that was barely big enough to fit through. She winced as the rough texture of the tree scraped her legs and stomach. She went toppling head first down the side of the elder tree. She grabbed hold of a ragged branch before she fell to her death, and began slowly lowering herself down. Inside, she could hear Koh yelling. It killed her to run away instead of helping, knowing Aang might not even survive. She walked towards the front of the tree, jumping at the sight of a monkey with no face sitting at the entrance. Toph backed away from it, running towards the murky water where they first entered the spirit world.

Aang felt Koh drag him back towards the center of the tree while trying to turn him over.

"Come now, Avatar. It's not polite to avoid looking your host in the eye."

Aang kicked, pushing Koh back far enough to crawl from beneath him. Aang dove for the twisted roots inside the tree, burying himself in them and gagging at the rotting stench of flora that had died long ago.

"You can't hide forever, child," Koh teased, flattening his body wickedly to reach him. Aang crawled back farther, pushing his body against of years of collected bracken until he was wedged with no way out. Aang struggled against the broken twigs and clumps of rotting wood, clawing and digging as Koh followed him inside.

"Get back here!" Koh yelled, centipede limbs flailing sickeningly as he struggled in the rotting mess to get to Aang's panicked face. Aang dug faster, throwing the debris in Koh's direction to cover the angered spirit's head. "I'll have her, Avatar! I've had her before and dozens like her!"

Aang shoved his hand thrugh the fist sized hole he created and clawed for something to grab onto. He gripped the roots tightly and began pulling himself free with one arm.

Koh roared behind him. "No! I'll get her one day! I've taken her from you hundreds of times! If it weren't for that damned Avatar Kuruk, you wouldn't have even known."

Aang kicked against the ground, shoving his body through the hole and freed himself from the twisted branches. He grabbed his staff and ran towards the gaping entrance.

"I'll get all of them, Avatar! And you'll have to sit back and watch as the world burns!"

Aang moved his legs faster, leaping over the roots that threatened to trip him. He sprinted out of the elder tree and back to the swamp where he yelled frantically for Toph.

"Toph! We need to go _now!"_

He kept running, colliding with a mess of brown hair and pale skin. The fell forward into the putrid water and sat up, untwisting their limbs.

"Watch it you- Aang! You're alive!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck.

He hugged her back, standing them both up before letting go and looking for a dry patch of land. "I barely made it out," he said, pulling them towards a dry hill on the edge of the water.

"Sit," he ordered, folding his legs into the lotus position. "Clear your mind and concentrate."

"On what? Aang, how did you get out?" she asked, looking behind them for any sign of Koh.

Aang sighed out of annoyance and turned her face towards him. "He's trapped, but not for long. I need to get back to the physical world to warn everyone. Focus, Toph."

"How do we do that?"

Aang opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. "I'm not entirely sure. The last time I was here from meditating. I don't know how to bring people with me, or get them out."

Toph panicked. "So, I'm stuck here while you get to go save everyone? What if that thing comes back?"

Aang stood up and looked around. "I have a friend who can help us. Come on."

They ran as fast as they could through the muddied waters of the swamp then dodged roots and fireflies in the forest. Aang helped Toph over a massive fallen log in their path, and on the other side was a plane of bamboo with fog so thick the thin green trees barely shone through. Aang pulled them towards the mist.

"Oh no," Toph said stopping. "I'm not going in there. What if it's another spirit? The meat-eating kind? What if we get lost and Koh finds us?"

Aang sighed and pulled Toph close. "I promise you," he said, pressing his forehead to hers, "that nothing will try to hurt us here. Please, Toph, we don't have much time."

Toph stared at the mist and bamboo tentatively before nodding and letting Aang guide them in. He held tight to her hand, barely able to resist walking into a few bamboo trees himself.

"What are we looking for?" Toph asked, peering into the white mist that surrounded them like a suffocating blanket.

"A friend. He helped me out of the spirit world the first time, and now that I know how to go back, maybe he can help you."

"What's his…." Toph trailed off as a large black figure appeared west of them. It seemed to grow larger with each step and Toph resisted the urge to scream. It got clearer and she realized the creature was both white and black, with bear like features.

"Hei Bai!" Aang said, as if greeting an old friend. He let go of Toph's hand to run towards the creature and hug it.

"This is my friend Toph," Aang said, waving for Toph to come closer.

She walked towards it, angling herself behind Aang as if waiting for an attack. "I've never actually _seen _one of these things before," Toph said. "They're much more frightening than the vibrations."

"Toph and I need help getting back to the physical world," Aang explained as if the bear could hear him. It groaned in response and gestured it's head behind him. Aang turned to Toph. "He wants us to hop on."

Toph crossed her arms. "Absolutely not. I haven't been on Appa in years. I don't know what it is with you wanting me to ride every animal we come across but this is where I draw the line."

Toph watched as Aang and Hei Bai exchanged a look, then Aang reached forward and threw Toph over his shoulder with ease. "Let's go!" he said anxiously over Toph's protests of vengeance.

Hei Bai ran fast through the different realms towards the circle of trees that made the energy point to enter the spirit world. The flying colors made Toph sick and she shut her eyes, willing her feet to work while the whistling wind cleared her nauseous head. Hei Bai trotted to a stop and Aang jumped off, helping a dizzy Toph down from the fur of the panda's back.

"Thank's Hei Bai!" Aang said. He sat down on the ground, motioning for Toph who simply fell onto her back. Hei Bai aimed a beam of pure energy onto her body, making her appearance grow thinner until she disappeared. "See you soon," Aang promised as he closed his eyes and let his spirit travel home.

Aang felt his spirit return to his body with a whoosh of air that left him breathless. There was an annoying poking sensation on the side of his head. Someone's finger, he guessed. Toph's frantic voice was in his ear.

"Wake up, Twinkle Toes! We've got to move!" she said. Aang steadied his breath and stood, running with Toph through the alley towards the town square where a sungi hornist played as a woman sang. Toph hoisted herself on stage and removed the instrument from the man's arms as the woman looked on in frustration.

"Sorry to break it up," Toph said, tossing the heavy instrument to the glaring woman. "Official Avatar business; you wouldn't understand."

Aang smiled sheepishly and apologized to them as they walked off the stage. He turned towards the crowd who looked on in confusion.

"Uh, hi everyone. There's a bit of an emergency going on, so if you could-"

Toph pushed him from center stage. "Alright, listen up you drunken bastards! There's a pissed off spirit arriving any minute. Go home, ditch the masks and keep calm!"

There was a moment of silence before the crowd burst into laughter.

"We're serious!" Aang yelled.

A man in the crowd threw a bottle. "Nice costume! Get off the stage!"

Aang breathed deeply, motioning for Toph to take a step back. He felt himself go weightless as the voices of his past lives filled him.

"Enough," he said, silencing the crowd immediately. "The spirits are not to be joked with. Go to your homes _now. _Koh is seeking revenge. You have been warned."

The energy flowing through him dropped rapidly, but he held his composure as the crowd quickly dispersed, leaving the chilling masks behind them.

"Well, that worked," Toph said, hopping off stage. She felt the vibrations of four people running towards them and almost fell to the ground to kiss the earth. She loved having her "sight" back.

Katara reached them first. "What happened?" she asked, alarmed.

Toph kicked a mask from beside her foot. "Koh's coming."

"What's a Koh?" Sokka asked, scanning the scattered people for signs of danger.

"Wait," Suki said. "You mean Koh? The old man in the story? That was just an old earth tale used to get kids to go to bed on time."

Aang jumped down from the stage. "Koh is real. The story doesn't compare to how evil he really is. It didn't do him any justice, so now he's coming back to make himself look stronger. And he's kind of after Toph."

"What?" they yelled in unison.

Aang started gathering the painted masks discarded among the ground. "He's had her before. As a past life, I mean. But what I don't understand is how. If you're taken by Koh, you're trapped. You won't be able to reincarnate into your next life."

"Technically, you can," Suki said. "The story is different across the Earth Kingdom. Here they tell the story as if you'll be kidnapped. On Kyoshi Island, they say the old man will steal your head to keep you from thinking bad thoughts. You'll go the rest of your life headless until you die."

Toph gave up on gathering the masks and began earth bending them beneath the stage. "She's right in a way. He's the face stealer. The rest of your body will be fine."

"Until you suffocate," Zuko spoke up. He rolled his eyes when the group stared at him. "No nose or mouth. No eyes, you'll be dead within minutes."

Aang scratched his head. "If that were the case, Toph would have been born a few years before I was."

"Not exactly," Katara said. "Our life cycles are different from yours, Aang. When an Avatar dies, he's immediately reincarnated into the next nation so the world will never have to be without one. But with everyone else, our spirits wait for some time. As if taking a vacation between lives."

Toph bended the rest of debris underground, making everyone jump. "He said he had me before. What the hell does that mean? Has he taken my life before?"

"I think…" Aang started. "I think you were Ummi."

Sokka growled in frustration. "Alright, who's Ummi?"

Aang kicked a pebble from his path. "Ummi was Avatar Kuruk's wife to be. She was stolen by Koh on their wedding day, and Kuruk's been hunting him ever since. Something Koh said troubled me…I don't know what he meant."

"What did he say? Toph asked.

Aang shrugged. "We need to focus on how we'll defeat him once he gets here. Everyone get ready, I need to talk to my past lives."

* * *

><p>Toph picked her toes that were masked by her stockings Katara forced her to wear. She felt Sokka's vibrations coming behind her and Aang sat in a meditative pose farther down north. Sokka sighed as he sat down, instinctively taking out his sword and inspecting it.<p>

"Who's Aang talking to?"

"No clue," Toph said, leaning back against the cold hard ground. "Past lives, probably. I swear this is the last spirit day I celebrate. I always thought it was a stupid holiday. We've already got the summer and winter solstices, the spring festival, the autumn festival, Lover's Day, Child Spirit day, and a crap load more." Toph banged her fist on the ground, causing an abandoned cart full of cooling candies to slide towards her. She grabbed a bag of them and handed one to Sokka.

He emptied the bag into his mouth and began talking over it. "I think Aang's not telling us something."

"You got that, did you?"

Sokka shrugged. "He's my friend too, Toph. Ummi's your past life, right?"

"Looks that way. Why?"

Sokka smiled devilishly. "That means you and Aang were about to get married- OW!" Toph punched him in the back with her free hand, causing the candies to splatter against the ground.

"This is serious, Sokka," Toph said, turning to hide her blush despite the darkness.

"Don't act like you haven't even _considered _the possibility of-"

Toph glared in his direction. "I will end you."

Sokka smiled and threw an arm around her shoulders. "I know you will. It's not fair for things to be unrequited for so long. But if he ever breaks your heart, I'll strangle him."

"Thanks, Snoozles."

"No problem. What are big brothers for?" Sokka reached a palm out to capture the white bits that floated from the sky. "Why does this Koh person or thing want you so bad?"

"I'm not sure… but I don't think Ummi was the first."

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, stealing Toph's bag of candy.

"I think Koh has been taking someone dear to Aang's past lives as some sort of game. I think that's what Twinkle Toes is trying to figure out."

* * *

><p>Aang took a deep breath, feeling heat swell in his chest as Avatar Roku parted from him and appeared.<p>

"Hello, Aang. I hope one day we will meet when there isn't impending doom."

Aang smiled at his mentor. "Avatar Roku, has anyone ever gone missing? I mean, someone close to you? And you had no explanation of where they went?"

Roku closed his eyes as he spoke. "One of my closest friends from childhood. She was a skilled bender and guided me where she could have ridiculed me. I was only ten when she vanished. Sozin was always jealous of our friendship, and I questioned if he had her banished. He said he hadn't, but I didn't believe him. It wasn't until her family began searching for her that I realized she'd been taken. Years passed and no one knew what became of her.

"Aang, you must stop Koh before he takes another life. Only you can break his vicious cycle." Roku disappeared into the wind. Aang was so numb he didn't notice the dropping temperature or the falling snow. Aang hardened himself, feeling the stubborn earth beneath him as he called Avatar Kyoshi.

"Aang, it's been so long since we've spoken. I was beginning to think you no longer needed my guidance," Kyoshi smiled.

"Avatar Kyoshi, has anyone close to you disappeared without a trace?"

Kyoshi 's form stared down at him with a passive face. "A man new to my village, a carpenter. He arrived some time before my Avatar training was complete. When I returned, I hated him instantly. He was arrogant and stubborn, and after time, we became close friends. I began to think our relationship was becoming more romantic, when he disappeared. There was a girl in a small town just off the peninsula where we lived that seemed to have a liking to him. I always thought they'd run off together.

"I didn't bother searching for him until I learned the girl still lingered. I exhausted myself coming and leaving the spirit world in search of some sign of him. Aang, you must defeat Koh by any means necessary. He cannot be allowed to live."

Kyoshi's blue spirit form vanished before him, leaving Aang in a daze.

"I knew I shouldn't have asked Kyoshi."

Aang skipped Kuruk, fully knowing the story and his connection to Ummi. Aang buried his head in his hands. All past lives had someone go missing….someone they cared about. Someone, with enough time if they didn't already, loved. Aang rubbed his temples and let his natural element fill him as he called Avatar Yangchen.

"Good to see you, Aang," Yangchen said.

"Good to see you," Aang repeated. "Avatar Yangchen, did you ever lose someone close to you with no knowledge of where they went?"

Yangchen smiled. "There was a bender around my age who went missing just before they announced me as the new Avatar. We loved each other, you see. Those were the best times of my life."

"What did you think happened?" Aang asked.

Yangchen sighed. "I always thought she became frightened. Or maybe had second thoghts."

"Wait, _she?"_

Yangchen smiled. "Yes, young Avatar. The monks did not protest alternative relationships like other nations."

Aang blushed. "I know that, but it's still…unexpected."

"You must once again be asked too much of your age. It is your duty to maintain balance." Yangchen disappeared as swiftly as the others, leaving Aang to thin about his choices. He could reason with Koh. After all, Aang wasn't sure how to kill a spirit or even if they could be killed. Or he could try to kill him before he got to Toph. Aang's heart sped up at the mere thought of her name. He closed his eyes and meditated, looking for some answers that had nothing to do with the fate of the town. Why wasn't the spirit after Katara? They weren't as close as they were before, but they still loved each other.

Aang banged on his head with his fists. "This is impossible!"

He sighed, watching his breath condense against the icy air. He unfolded his stiff legs and brushed the snow off his pants. "What the hell am I going to do?"

There was an ear-splitting crack that echoed through the town center.

"Aang!" Toph yelled. He resisted the strong urge to be at her side. "We've got company!"

Aang circled his staff around him, throwing the cyclone of air against Koh's form. It knocked the spirit side ways, slamming him against the brick wall. Koh staggered to his many feet, some of which were missing, and began looking for his attacker.

"I knew I'd find you, Avatar. Do you really think you can trap a creature in his own home?" Koh said, lunging for Aang who stood ready. A pillar of earth blocked Koh's path, causing him to slam helplessly into it with a _crunch. _Aang thought about what Kyoshi told him as he watched Koh struggle back to his legs.

Aang's feet slid forward as Katara bended the fallen snow into a sheet of white above her, then sharpened it into daggers and sent them flying towards Koh. They clattered against his shell and fell to the ground.

"I can't break through!" Katara yelled, focusing more on freezing the ground beneath the monster into a deadly slick surface.

"Energy!" Aang exclaimed over the sound of Zuko's flames hitting the exoskeleton of Koh's back.

"We could use a little help here!" Sokka yelled, cleanly slicing a diagonal line through three of Koh's legs.

"He's already weak from coming to the physical world!" Aang yelled. He ran towards him, jumping easily over Koh's body that lashed out to strike him. The pointed legs were a breath away from cutting through the meat of Aang's face.

Aang landed in a crouch on Koh's back, bending a funnel of air to guard him from the rain of fist sized rocks that pummeled them from all sides. It was similar to taming Appa whenever the sky bison saw something that resembled a cave. Aang stopped himself from soothing Koh, and instead hung on for dear life. He pressed himself against the smooth armor when the glint of a golden fan whizzed by.

"Move, damn it, I almost cut your head off!" Suki yelled, readying her other fan.

"Sokka, I need your sword!" Aang yelled, gripping the raised edge of Koh's back as be bucked beneath him.

Sokka hurled the black blade at Aang who caught it with ease. Aang didn't flinch as he brought the gleaming sword down, slicing Koh through the middle. The beast howled as he kicked and flailed. The lower half twitched violently until it stopped while his upper half thrashed, causing Aang to hold on.

"The bigger something is, the more energy it needs to reach the physical world." Aang handed Sokka back the sword that was dripping with a deep green liquid. Sokka grimaced but took the sword back, moaning about just having it cleaned.

"Kyoshi was taller than all of us, so she got tired easier. It's the reason I used to faint going into the Avatar state. I was relying on energy to get there-"

"But using energy to come back," Katara finished. "Energy you hadn't controlled yet. That's amazing, Aang."

Aang turned back to Koh who had gone still. "We can't kill a spirit. They're pure energy. But we can change that energy, weakening them so they can't cross the bridge into our world."

Aang walked up to and stared into the face of the first doll. "As long as there is an avatar, you are no longer allowed in our world. Even if the cycle is broken, once you try to cross to the physical world your spirit energy will be depleted and you will cease to exist."

"You damned child!" Koh spat. "She's always been mine. I'll get her back one day, Avatar. And you'll do nothing to stop me." The spirit slowly vanished, leaving it's odd colored blood and dismembered limbs as the only evidence he'd been there.

Sokka, never letting a dead dog lie, broke the silence after the threat with a terrible joke.

"Looks like Team Avatar squished that bug!"

The sounds of a Fire Lord pinching his nose, two girls slapping their hands to their foreheads, Aang shaking his head and Toph groaning was quickly taken by laughter.

* * *

><p>Katara leaned against the barn, watching Toph and Aang shove each other playfully in the snow. Toph threw her head back and laughed loudly at something Aang said; probably a threat.<p>

Sokka came up and joined her, sighing at the content scene. There was barely an inch of snow on the ground when it stopped, leaving the town in a blanket of white.

"You know what?" Katara said, staring at her two youngest friends. "I think it's going to be okay. I mean, _I'm _okay."

Sokka nodded in agreement as Aang lifted Toph from the ground and heaved her over his shoulder, spinning them while Momo grabbed her ankle and swung along.

"I think you're right," he said. "Who'd ever think….out of all the people, two exact opposites get together."

Katara chuckled and shook her head. "Opposites, yeah."

Sokka hooked his arm around her and rested his head on top hers. "Another day saved, little sis. Who do you think will take over once we get old and grey? We can't do this forever."

Katara hummed as she thought. "I'm sure some amazing new team of benders will come along and pick up where we left off." She wrapped her arm around Sokka's waist. She laughed when Momo became too dizzy and flew from Toph's ankle to the ground, leaving a trail behind him from where he slid against the snow. Katara stopped when she heard an odd noise.

"Are you sniffing my hair?" she asked pulling back.

Sokka's face became dark. "Why do you smell like smoke? We've been out here for hours!"

Katara gulped and took off running, using the snow on the ground to propel her out of Sokka's reach.

"Tell Zuko he's dead!" Sokka yelled, out of breath.

Katara laughed and turned to say "What are big brother's for?"

* * *

><p><strong>I'd like to thank the first two reviewers, MelonLord28 and Heartless Demon Wolf, who let me know someone actually read this on Halloween night. I'm stuck in my dorm, missing Charlie brown Halloween to write you all this story. But I don't mind. Know why? Because I LOVE WRITING! Anyway, yes, it did snow a couple days ago on the east coast. I took a picture in it. (Because I'm crazy) Review, my darlings! I don't own Avatar. Happy Halloween! ^0^ it's a bat.<strong>


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